Nudge: Lost In The Dark
by AxiGaGa
Summary: Nudge is pregnant with Iggy's baby. And more trouble starts to ensue when the School finds interest in her and captures her. Can Iggy and the rest of the flock save her? And who exactly is this mysterious Logan?
1. Everyone Knows

_**This is my first fanfiction. My cousin, beatlesgirl221, got me into Maximum Ride and has now got me into this website.**_

_**I love writing and please be nice since I'm still trying to figure this all out.**_

_**Be sure to look up beatlesgirl221! She has a good story going on there. ^^**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own any of Maximum Ride's characters or the book itself. James Patterson does. ^^**_

_**(Nudge is nineteen, Iggy is twenty-three.)**_

_Nudge's POV_

I jerked awake and sat up in my bed abruptly. My rapid breaths were the only sound in the room but seemed loud enough to wake up anyone. I sighed, frustrated.

Why did I have to be forced awake again? I had just gotten over the weeks of morning sickness, and thought so happily that I could get a goodnight sleep again. I guess it wouldn't be happening for awhile. I ran my fingers through my bangs and pushed them from my eyes.

Iggy groaned next to me and I stiffened immediately. He whispered something incoherent in his sleep and turned over, relaxing me a small bit that I hadn't woken him up. Nothing seemed to wake him up; not even my getting sick at the break of dawn so many times before this night.

I glanced at the clock and frowned at the time: five hours into the morning. There wasn't any use trying to get back to sleep. I leaned over and pressed my lips to Iggy's cheek with the lightest of touch. He shivered and a short sigh escaped through his lips but otherwise, his eyes remained shut. I got up from the bed and left as silently as I could manage.

I was almost certain Fang and Angel were the only two in the flock that knew of the baby I now carried. With her mind-reading ability, I couldn't keep anything from Angel though I undoubtedly wanted to. The day I looked in the mirror and knew what had happened, Angel had stared at me with the widest of eyes. To my relief, she had said nothing like she had promised me.

Fang had walked in on me one morning, unfortunately as I was throwing up and shaking by the bathtub. He had sat down next to me and put his arm around my shoulders, not saying anything as I cried my eyes out from the pain and the fear. He had rubbed my back carefully and spoke the softest tone in my ears: "Iggy won't be angry. He loves you, he'll love the baby". Being the silent ghost that he was, he had left without another word.

It had been a few weeks since the morning he had found out, and Iggy still didn't have a clue.

"Good morning, Nudge," Fang's voice captured me from my thoughts and I hadn't realized how long I had been standing in the kitchen, or even how I got there.

"Good morning," I murmured gently, focusing my eyes over to the fridge though I knew I couldn't eat anything.

"You haven't been sick lately," Fang noted, looking at me as he stood in the midst of the small kitchen, looking taller than he already was.

I didn't move. "Finally," I sighed.

He nodded and came over to open the fridge, taking out the eggs that suddenly sounded delicious to me. He placed them on the table and reached for the cupboard that held the pans.

"Go wake up Iggy," he said. "You know he can make better eggs than I can."

I smiled a quick smile and didn't look at him as I made my way past. I heard him sigh.

"Nudge," he spoke in a voice that sounded as if he wanted me to stop. I thought it over quickly and stopped in the middle of the hallway, not taking the time to turn myself around to face him. It took him a while to speak.

"You need to tell Iggy, Nudge."

I pulled my eyebrows together, trying hard to keep the tears behind my eyes. I couldn't break down in front of him again.

"He's the only one who doesn't know and yet he's the most important," his words stiffened me. Everyone knew? How?

"We're a family here, Nudge, and we're worried about you. It's only a matter of time before Iggy finds out the wrong way. He needs to be told by _you._"

"I'm trying Fang," I choked pathetically, shutting my eyes. I felt Fang's hand suddenly on my shoulder and I winced in a shiver.

Before he could say anything more, I vanished inside the safety of mine and Iggy's room. Immediately, I found him sitting on the edge of the bed looking towards me as I closed the door.

"Nudge?" his voice was groggy but happy.

"Morning Iggy," I whispered after a bit, taking precautions so he couldn't hear my voice break.

He stood up and strode over to take me into a tight embrace that I always loved. I buried my face into his shoulder and let myself hide from the never-ending worry I felt when I thought of his baby that grew inside me. His hands wrapped around my upper back, imprisoning me with my own will.

"Good morning Nudge," he whispered as his lips touched my hair.

"Good morning Iggy," I whispered in an answer.

I wanted the moment to last for as long as it could, as if it wouldn't happen again in my lifetime.

"Why are you shaking?" his fingertips smoothed the hair from my cheek as he felt around my face, feeling what he couldn't see.

"I… I just don't feel well," I murmured almost too quickly, trying hard to stop the unwanted shaking.

"What's wrong?"

His fingers stopped on the curve of my lips and I opened my eyes to gaze at him, every single aspect of my body abruptly stopping in mid-breath. His beautiful, sky-blue eyes gazed down at me though I knew he could see nothing of my features. I wanted so badly for him to see my face.

I felt the too-familiar tears well up again but to my convenience, they didn't roll down my cheeks to meet his fingertips. I closed my eyes again and forced my lips to upturn.

"Everything's fine," I whispered to him, taking his hand from my lips to kiss his pale ones.

He parted them delicately and I felt my eyebrows draw together once more at the beauty of our kisses though they seemed so rare. He released his smiling lips after a moment and pressed his forehead to mine.

"That's good," he said, purely happy. "You always should be happy."

I forced another smile as he released his hold around me to take my hand gently. He lead me back out to the kitchen where Fang no longer stood.

One solid tear stole its way down to my parted lips.


	2. Shivers

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It always was difficult for me to keep my feelings a secret, especially when everyone knew what I was trying so hard to hide. When you had a family like mine, they all knew what everyone was thinking. And for Angel, that was literal.

It was another early, cold morning in our house. I was the only one who was awake yet and I sighed, letting the peace help me calm down all the nerves that constricted me. Surprisingly, the cold helped me take my mind off of everything. I clutched the cup of coffee in my hands and shivered, not bothering to cover up with the blanket that lay next to me. I closed my eyes and shut out the world.

I didn't know how long it was until I felt a blanket fall over my body. The coffee splashed softly in my cup as I jumped, half-expecting to find Iggy or Fang standing in front of me. I snapped my eyes open and saw Max, instead. She wasn't smiling.

"Nudge," she said, hands on her hips. I frowned.

"I know, I know," I murmured, hugging the blanket close to me.

"Don't hurt yourself, Mama Bear," Max scolded gently, in a motherly way. "The baby needs to be healthy."

I sighed and looked down at the cup I held without an answer. Max sat down next to me and hugged my shoulders, calming me like so many nights she had done before.

"He's going to love the baby," Max whispered in my ears. "You know he will, Nudge."

I looked at her quietly, not knowing exactly what to say. She smiled at me for a moment and looked over my head quickly as I heard a soft shuffling sound. I snapped my head over and saw Gazzy, to my relief, walking sleepily into the kitchen.

"Morning Gaz," Max called happily to him. He grunted as an answer. I looked back to Max and saw her flash another quick smile before getting up from the couch to follow him.

Out of particularly nowhere, Fang popped out from the darkness by the couch and followed Max as well. I glared in irritation, knowing he'd realize.

It was warmer than it was the days before and I felt the urge to go outside into the sunlight. I looked around, noticing everyone was busy doing their own things while I strayed by the open window. I looked the longest at Iggy, who plotted what looked like more bomb-making with Gazzy in the living room. I couldn't help but to smile at the two, knowing they both were at their happiest. How could I risk taking that from Iggy?

I slipped outside onto the long porch of ours that wrapped around the two-story house. From the inside, it looked a lot warmer than it actually was despite the bright sun. I tucked my arms against my chest and leaned on the railing, ignoring my small shivers from the breeze.

I couldn't deny; this place was beautiful. Hidden from all civilization in the woods, it was a perfect spot to be free from the threat of the School. I hoped we never had to leave like so many other places before.

I stared off into the distance, arms around my stomach now, wanting everything to be right again. I couldn't help but feel my wings ache from wanting to fly again.

I felt someone's arms wrap around me from behind, causing me to jump softly.

"What are you doing out here in the cold?" Iggy's voice was concerned but on the joking side by a small bit.

I leaned my head against his arm that held the railing next to me, sighing despite myself.

"It's not that cold," I answered. "We've been in colder."

He chuckled gently and laid his head in the curve of my neck that connected my shoulder to my face. His breathing came softly through his lips and I couldn't find any words to speak to him. I closed my eyes gradually and laid my hand over his own carefully. He grasped it.

"I know when something's wrong, Nudge," he whispered. I stiffened. "I may be blind but my fingers feel everything."

I sighed and turned my face into his arm, as if I was trying to block out his way of figuring out my feelings. He kissed my cheek and held me tighter, laying his head on top of mine. I shivered.

"Nothing's wrong," I answered when I could speak clearly.

He didn't say anything and I bit down on my lip hard, almost causing it to break the skin. I didn't realize how fast time had passed until I noticed the sun beginning to set so far away behind the trees. I straightened up to head back inside.

But he held me there.

"Nudge," he whispered. I stopped moving in his arms.

"Yes?" I said once he didn't say anything more.

It took him so very long for him to speak again.

"I love you, Nudge," he said, close to my ear. "I don't say it as much as I probably should but I do. You're just about everything to me."

I gasped as quietly as I could through my lips, closing my eyes to listen to the words over again.

"I love you too, Iggy," I murmured.

He turned me around so I was facing him, his eyes just inches from my face as if he was trying so hard to see my own. I looked back at him and placed my hand to his cheek, not knowing any more to say.

"I wish I could see you," his lips barely moved as he said the words. I pulled my eyebrows together and bowed my head sadly.

"I wish you could see me too."

"But don't worry, Nudge," he said abruptly, afraid of my sad tone. He placed his hands to either side of my face, warming up my cheeks. "I don't mind that I can't as much. I can still feel you with every tingle of my fingertips."

I smiled and took his hand, guiding it over my lips so he'd feel them upturned. His answering smile could light up the whole forest in the dead of the night.

He kissed my lips softly.

"There's nothing wrong, right?" he asked me, worry still hinting in his blue eyes.

I looked at his eyes and I shivered gently with fear. He misinterpreted it as the cold wind and soon I found myself inside the house again. Everyone hadn't moved and they didn't look up as we walked in, hand in hand. I couldn't tell if they were just being polite or were truly into what they all were doing. Iggy smiled and lead me to the bedroom we shared, already pitch dark with the window shut up.

I removed my hand and lay down under the covers without a word, happier now that I was truly warm. Iggy wasn't far behind; he got in on his side of the bed and immediately wrapped his arms around me to pull me close to his chest like almost every other night.

Out of all the other times, anyone would think that I could explain the feeling I got when he held me close in the night. But the thing was that I couldn't. It was beyond anything anyone could ever feel in a lifetime.

I snuggled close to him and tried my hardest to get rid of the fear so I could tell him, the only person in this house who didn't know; the only person in this house that needed to know.

I felt him sigh against my hair with contentment and I opened my mouth to speak. My eyes were tearing up already.

"No, there's nothing wrong," I whispered to him.


	3. The Sense of Touch

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"Nudge, look after Angel while we're gone," Max said sternly, as if Angel needed watching over. Angel glared; her beautiful, white face twisted with irritation. I laughed gently and nodded.

"How come Nudge has to stay?" Iggy looked concerned and worried about leaving me here. He stood by my side hesitantly. "Why can't she come?"

I looked at Max as she furrowed her eyebrows, not knowing what to say. I sighed, knowing the lies were getting worse and she wasn't particularly happy about it. I shifted my feet nervously.

"Angel doesn't want to go," Fang spoke up suddenly before the silence got too long. "And we don't think we should leave her alone. I mean, she _is _the youngest." He shot a slight grin towards Angel and she glowered.

Max sighed at Fang, plainly irritated with him for standing up for me. He snuck a quick kiss to her forehead and whispered something that I couldn't hear. She sighed again.

"Be good," Fang said, looking at me. I nodded and he, Gazzy, and Max left through the door. Iggy lingered next to me, biting his lip.

"Go, I'll be fine," I whispered to him. He smiled softly and stole a kiss to my cheek before vanishing after them.

"I think we should name it Alex!" Angel said to me excitedly, after a half an hour had passed by. "Or Carmen if it's a girl! Wait, maybe Lynn… Or Iggy Alex Jr!"

"Angel!" I spoke over her ranting. "Calm down, please!"

She grinned happily, practically bouncing in her seat, reminding me much of myself when I was so much younger. I sighed and leaned my head back against the couch, closing my eyes to try and get some quiet. It didn't last long.

"How long have you been pregnant anyway?" she said, excitedly then gasped. "You're going to get huge!"

"I'm a month and three days, Angel," I spoke, counting the days carefully. "And I know I am."

"You already look bigger! I can't wait to see Iggy's face—"

She cut off and I opened my eyes to find her looking at me expectedly. I frowned and looked away, towards the door, knowing what she was going to say.

"Come on, Nudge," she said pleadingly. "He'll be so happy with the news, you know he will. We all know he will."

I didn't answer and Angel scoffed, almost sounding angry. That was always a rare sight.

"Nudge, you honestly don't hear or see what the rest of the flock does," she said, folding her arms. "He loves you. I don't have to read his mind to know that but I certainly pick up on a lot of things doing so."

I looked at her but she stared off into space, probably listening to everything that went inside my head. My apologies, my fears, my wishes, and what I loved the most.

"I'm sorry Angel," I said it aloud, even though she probably heard it way before that. "But it's harder than you think."

"You'll have to tell him if he suddenly feels a whole foot between the both of you as you guys hug."

I sighed and stood up, ignoring the unexpected queasiness in my stomach. Angel watched me as I made my way over to the glass window that looked out over the backyard. The sun was high in the sky.

"You all right, Nudge?" she asked me, confused. In the middle of her sentence, I saw her head tilt gently to the side in a distracted manner but didn't look away from my direction. I heard something as well.

"Angel, I—"

The door was crashed open and I jumped around automatically, my pulse firing up out of instinct. Angel had already stood up, her eyes wide.

"Angel! Nudge!" It was Max.

They half-carried Iggy through the doorway, their chests heaving and faces bloodied horribly. My heart jolted into my throat horribly as they hurried to the couch to place Iggy there. I was right next to them in a short gasp of breath.

"What happened?" Angel's and my voice said at once. I leaned over and touched my hand to Iggy's bloody, pale face ignoring the way it stained my fingers.

"Erasers…" Gazzy choked, spitting blood to the carpet. Angel immediately ran to throw her arms around her brother.

"I don't know where they all came from," Max whispered, making me have to strain my ears. "All of the sudden they just dropped from the sky. We're lucky we weren't anywhere near here."

I couldn't look at him. I couldn't look at anyone's face. I stared at Iggy's closed eyelids in panic but felt slightly reassured when I saw his lips parted to let in deep breaths. I didn't look away even when Max had brought back a towel.

"Erasers? But I thought they were extinct?" Angel asked.

"So did I, Ange," Max answered, her tone distant.

I took the towel quickly from Max's hands without even truly thinking about it and held it to Iggy's face.

"He'll be fine, Nudge," I heard her say as she knelt beside me. "He's shaken up, is all. Let Fang expect the wounds."

I felt someone tug my arm gently, making the tears fall down silently from my face. Unwillingly, I forced my fingertips away from Iggy's face and was wrapped up in two pairs of my flock's arms.

Fang and I were the only ones left in the room now. I didn't know when the others had left but I could tell their comforting hadn't worked on me. I lay on my side, my tears dried and crusted on my face knowing more were coming soon. Fang had glanced at me only once that I knew of and it had been so very long ago.

"Nudge," he spoke gently, stirring me awake from a conscious sleep. I looked up at him with glazed eyes as he came to sit down close to me. "Nudge. He's fine, okay? The worst that happened was a bit bruising on his ribcage and jaw. It's nothing serious."

I stared at his dark eyes and he smiled, ruffling my hair gently with his fingertips.

"You have no idea how much he was worried about you," he continued, quieter now. "It's not my place to say."

He glanced at Iggy and glanced back at me. I didn't choose to say anything, knowing I probably should. He left without another word, in his Fang-like way that everybody knew so well.

Carefully, I went over to Iggy's side and stared at his closed eyes. Who was I to wake him?

I got up quietly to leave to the bedroom.

"Nudge, why are you leaving so soon?" I stiffened to his voice, thick from exhaustion. I looked back at him and found his misty blue eyes open, staring blindly into my direction.

"I'm sorry…" I whispered. "I didn't think it'd be right to wake you after what I heard…"

He sighed and his eyes closed.

"Don't worry," he spoke after a moment. He paused, almost looking thoughtful. "Just please come here."

His arms opened and I stared at him silently, not moving. He breathed through his lips and turned on his side, wincing from the pain invisible but heart-wrenching to me. His arms stayed open and I couldn't deny him.

I lay down perfectly in his embrace. He placed his lips into the side of my hair and held them there gently, breathing quietly. I wrapped my hands in his and closed my eyes, not knowing what to say to him.

"I don't want anymore lies… Are you all right, Nudge?" he whispered into my hair. My breath caught in disbelief.

"You're asking me what's wrong when you just got practically killed my Erasers?"

I shivered gently and he held me tighter.

"No," he answered. "I'm not talking about just tonight. You forget that I didn't lose my feeling of touch and sound, Nudge. I'm talking about the days before this one."

I closed my eyes and sighed, knowing that tonight wasn't going to end without him knowing of me, of us. I couldn't help the tears that slid down my face and over my nose from lying on my side. I couldn't help my shivering breaths. His hand released my own and I stiffened as his fingertips found the edge of my face. His fingers slid through the salty water of my tears. He didn't say anything but his thumb carefully wiped away all that it could.

"Don't be angry with me," I was whispering to stop my voice from breaking. It was bad enough that my voice was already thick with sobs.

I felt his breath catch in his throat at my shivering and he kissed me with the lightest of kisses in my hair. I opened my eyes and let every negative feeling I had bottled up float away into the air. I took his hand and tightened my grip until I couldn't feel my fingers any longer.

As carefully as I could, I pressed his hand to my stomach and flattened my palm over his. He didn't move for a very long time and I found myself short of breath. Taking one deep one through my mouth, I removed my hand.

I don't know how long it was. But I knew he could feel the slightest curve in my stomach. And I could almost feel the upturning of his lips against my hair.

Gently, always gently, his fingers made a slight trail across my stomach and back again. I didn't have to look at his face to know he understood.


	4. Wings and Bullets

_**Sorry about disappearing for a little while.**_

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The world seemed much better now, with everything back to normal again. I couldn't say if Iggy knew beforehand or not; it was too hard to tell with his smiles. Nonetheless, I was happy to see him happy once more and making more bombs than ever with Gazzy even if I didn't fully approve. I couldn't take that away from him.

"Nudge!" I heard Angel call from inside the kitchen.

I kept my eyes closed and smiled, knowing what she wanted. I wasn't in any hurry to get up from my lounge on the porch chair and she'd find that inside of my head eventually. Days like this didn't come more beautifully.

"Nudge," she said, agitated now as she opened the sliding glass door. "I know you're not asleep! Why didn't you answer?"

I grinned. "Why do I have to answer to a mind-reading child? You already knew the answer to your question before you could have ever heard my voice."

I opened my eyes when she didn't speak and found her face in a grimace with her arms crossed. I laughed and sat up in the chair.

"Five months, Angel."

She squealed despite herself and skipped over to throw her arms around me tightly. I laughed again and hugged her back.

"Look how big your belly is!" Angel giggled, quieter now. "What would Iggy do if he could see this?"

"I'm not sure," I smiled as she released me. "But I'm pretty sure he'd be calmer than you."

She smiled giddily and ran over to the railing of the porch as I watched. Iggy and Gazzy were creating something, probably along the lines of fireworks, on the lawn with peace and I smiled too.

"Gazzy! Iggy!" Angel yelled out to them. "Time for lunch!"

Gazzy looked up with excitement and ran instantly up the steps towards the kitchen. Iggy laughed and put all the contents in a pile before striding over to climb the steps as well. Angel regarded him without a word and ran back into the house following her brother.

He stopped when he was by my side. I smiled and stared ahead.

"Are you coming in?" he faced his head in my direction but his eyes were staring just over my head.

"Yeah," I said softly. "I will be in a moment."

He looked towards the open door and back to me again, thinking things I wish I knew. I looked over at him and found his lips smiling. I tapped the edge of the wooden chair.

"Five feet away?" he guessed. "Or maybe six…"

I laughed and he strode over to my side, counting the number of feet it took to get there. He reached out his hand.

"Seven feet, damn," he murmured when his fingers touched my hair.

"Close enough," I told him and he smiled.

I don't know how long it had been since the whole flock had been outside together. The sun was high in the sky and the slight breeze made it comfortably cool. Even Fang was smiling his rare smiles with his hand tightly in Max's. It was obvious where that might lead to one day.

Angel climbed up the big tree that stood tall in front of the house. She laughed as Gazzy climbed up after her.

"I swear to god if one of you falls…" Max called up at them. Fang snickered.

Angel rolled her eyes and hung from one of the branches, her wings pulled out as far as they could go. I smiled and watched her beat her wings gently, making my own wings ache with wanting to open again. Iggy's hand ran across my back, ruffling my feathers softly. I sighed.

"Someone seems to want to fly," Iggy whispered as we laid back on the grass; Fang and Max not too far from us. I looked over at his eyes.

"Yeah," I whispered in a breath. "The one good thing about being a mutant, flying bird-human is the peace you get when you fly."

Iggy's answering smile was soft and sweet.

"Then go fly."

"But Iggy…" I began to protest, but he shook his head to stop me.

"Nope, come on now," he took me gently by the hands and rose me up to my feet. I made a soft noise in objection but he ignored it. "No protesting, Nudge. Open your wings."

I looked at him and he smiled, walking around to stand behind me. Carefully, his hands found the middle of my wings that connected to my back through the slits in my shirt. He rubbed his fingers against the ends and I sighed, unfolding my wings out all the way until they reached a length of thirteen feet each.

It felt wonderful, every single aspect of it. The breeze flowed gently through my feathers, already lifting me off of my feet; and I could hear the way the wind blew by my ears. Iggy stepped away as I pumped my wings hard and lifted myself a foot at a time off the ground, heading towards the open sky.

I flew over the tops of the trees, my arms spread wide like my wings, enjoying every moment of it. I kept my sense of direction centered on where the house lay so I wouldn't get too far.

_If every human could do what we could, all sense of perfection would be lost. _I thought to myself, bitterly. There wasn't any chance they'd preserve it like we did.

I didn't know how long it was until I heard a tree rustle louder than the wind could have made it. I looked at it curiously, wondering if it was one of the others trying to fly as well.

It wasn't.

A bullet shot up at me, whizzing past my face. I tumbled gently in the air and righted myself, my breath picking up quickly. Another bullet cracked and another, coming faster at me than I could almost move. I stared at the treetop frightfully and shot back to where the house was, not realizing the danger I could be setting upon them.

"Iggy!" I screamed when I reached the tall tree by our house.

Iggy were the first to look up at me, already standing up with an alarmed face because of the bullet sounds I knew he heard.

A piercing pain suddenly shot into my back and I cried out horribly, feeling something climb over my wings to clip them together. Without being able to do anything, I fell through the scratching branches and hit the ground.

"Nudge!" I heard Max scream faintly in my throbbing mind. I opened my eyes and saw the blurred vision of her and Iggy running towards me.

Four Erasers automatically fell onto the ground between us, stopping them dead in their tracks.

"Oh I don't think so," one snapped at them, their teeth showing clearly from their mouths.

They jumped into battle just as Fang ran up with Angel and Gazzy behind, their faces taken over with fury. I tried desperately to get myself free but whatever had clutched my wings now stuck a poison straight into me, keeping me from moving. I cried out to Iggy desperately.

"Nudge!" I heard him yell as he struggled against the Eraser that held him. "Please! No!"

I saw the blood spill from between his lips as the Eraser hit him but he didn't tear his focus away from me. I saw the tears pour down his cheeks just before mine did.

"You're coming with me," I heard someone hiss in my ear. A dark shape picked me up off the ground and I felt the sudden adrenaline to fight; but I couldn't move a muscle. The cries continued.

"No!" Iggy was choking from blood and tears. He wasn't facing me anymore but I knew he heard. "You're not taking her!"

Like the others, he was smashed to the dirt with brutal force.

I was pushed into a helicopter, my eyes growing blurrier by the second as I fought against unconsciousness. I saw the blurry outline of Iggy, his face torn and bloody, a lot more than anyone else's.

I wrapped my hands around the soft curve of my stomach before I could see or hear no longer.


	5. Heartache

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_**Disclaimer: No, I don't own Maximum Ride or Nudge or Iggy or Fang or Max or Erasers or Angel or Gazzy. :)**_

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_Nudge's POV :_

My head hurt worse than anyone could think of, like a dozen bricks had smashed into my skull without mercy. I opened my eyes as gradually as I could to lessen the pain, though it felt like I couldn't manage that at all.

I was in a bigger crate than I remembered being pushed into; more like a cage, than anything else. I groaned softly at the stench that hung everywhere on its bars, pressing my face into the concrete surface in an attempt to block it out. It didn't work well, especially now that I could go beyond the pain in my head to feel the searing in my stomach as I laid on it.

I whimpered gently as I forced myself up against the bars, stretching out my legs to calm my breathing. I placed my fingertips on the curve of my stomach and soothed it carefully, like Iggy used to do when I woke up so late in the night.

Iggy.

Where was he?

I snapped my eyes all around the room I was in, breathing rapidly in panic. There were other cages around me, all empty and dark, like a place where they stored circus animals. I didn't hear or see anything; I assumed I was alone. I wouldn't be surprised if I was.

Before I had the chance to stop myself, I sobbed gently and felt my eyes tear up with fear. I _was_ alone. The flock hadn't been captured. They had just captured _me_. Did they know about the baby I held? They probably did. It wasn't that unobvious.

I wrapped my arms around my stomach protectively, ignoring the hair that fell into my face. They'd save me before I gave birth here. I knew they would. I had another three months, didn't I? I was too panic-stricken to count the weeks in my head.

I leaned over to curl up on the ground, knowing I was helpless.

The door opened on the far region of the room and I stiffened on my side, covering my arms over my stomach automatically. I heard soft voices of the White Coats.

"Ah, she's awake," one snickered as they stopped in front of my cage. I stared at their three disgusting faces. "It's about time."

I scowled and pushed myself back further into the cage, knowing it was of no use.

"Oh sweetheart," one other black-haired one said to me. "We're not going to hurt you. At least not yet."

The other two laughed and unlocked my cage, causing a loud screeching noise to erupt through the room. I squeezed my eyes shut against the sound that echoed painfully in my sensitive ears. They laughed more.

"Grab her and let's go," one finally said, through his laughter. I growled through my teeth as they grasped my arms roughly, forcing me to my feet.

I knew better than to fight; I'd hurt myself in the process. And hurting me meant hurting the growing baby. I struggled mildly against their hands but they pushed me though the open door without difficulty, ignoring my tears.

"I wouldn't fight if I were you," the one who held my wings back said to me. "That thing inside you will die as soon as it's possible."

My breath choked in my throat, making my eyes blurry with pure fear and agony. They laughed at my expression and pulled me through the door they entered, momentarily blinding me from the light. The corridor seemed to go on for miles, and different closed doors were everywhere. Test centers.

The tears ran down my face, making everything around me look dream-like. Feebly, I clutched my hands to my stomach as if I had a chance in protecting the baby.

_I just couldn't let them destroy the beautiful rose inside of me._

_Iggy's POV :_

"Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" my voice was made out to be angry, but my own tears ruined the effect, causing my voice to break.

I could feel Max's hands on my shoulders, trying hard to calm me down before I probably blew something up. That didn't seem too bad of an idea right now but I knew it wouldn't help Nudge.

That made my heart hurt even worse.

"Iggy!" Max was talking to me but I couldn't see her lips. I couldn't see anyone around me though I felt them like they were touching me. It wasn't fair, not one bit. "Please, calm down, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Because I'm hurt enough already?" I muttered bitterly.

"Iggy," her voice was softer now and I felt her arms around me, tight. "She'll be all right; we can save her, can't we Fang?"

I didn't hear Fang answer and I immediately forced myself from her arms, almost tumbling straight to the floor in the process. Not like I would have cared if I had.

"She's _not _all right, Max," I snapped, anxiety flowing through my blood, controlling my words. "She's no where _near _all right! You don't seem to quite understand yet, Max. The two loves of my life are with tons of wolf-men and humans who don't give a damn about them. They'll kill both of them if they get the chance…"

I couldn't finish, as pathetic I was. My lips trembled over the last sentence and I collapsed into the chair next to me, forgetting it was there.

Who knows how long we had been unconscious. Who knows what sick things they could be doing to Nudge or have done already.

I could hear Gazzy's and Angel's sniffing in the room around me. I could even hear Max's own low sniveling as she fought to keep her composure. Because that was what Max did. That's how she was. She wasn't a cry-baby and she rarely let any of the other's cry in her presence. I guess that kind of ruined her ways when she couldn't calm me down.

I was broken, bleeding in places I didn't know were there until this very moment. I wanted badly to stop the pain, knowing I was probably making a fool of myself to all of the others but I couldn't stop. There wasn't any will left in this godforsaken world.

"_Why couldn't you tell me you were having our child, Nudge?"_

"_I was afraid," she was trembling; I could feel it in my heart. "I was afraid you wouldn't accept it…"_

_Her tears were hurting me, as I felt them run down the back of my hands. I took them away and pressed them gently to her stomach, catching her by surprise. Her heart fluttered like a butterfly and I made an attempt at a smile to lighten her face up._

_I couldn't tell anyone how badly I wanted to see that happening. I pressed my lips to her cheek, parting them slightly against her skin. I wasn't trying to kiss her, just trying to see her in the best way I could manage. I held them there and her lips upturned. It was close enough._

I forced myself from the memory as quickly as I could, feeling my hands cover my face with pain. It wasn't fair to feel like this. It wasn't fair that I couldn't see her capturers as they tore her away from me. It wasn't fair that every single thing on this planet seemed to be ripping away from me.

I could tell anyone now what the word heartache means without any difficulty at all. And they couldn't backtalk me.

Like nothing matters, because it'll never be better again. Like no one cares, even though the world is crashing down upon you without any mercy. That's what heartache was.

I didn't know if I was unconscious or not when I felt someone's arms pick me up off the chair. I didn't try to struggle when they threw me onto their back and felt the indentations where their wings were connected to their spine.


	6. Logan

_**I apologize for the way I made Iggy in the last chapter! He's not emo or anything; he's just really depressed that his baby and love are captured.**_

_**I'd be terrified too!**_

_**Oh yeah, and I forgot, Iggy kind of knew already about the baby. That's for those who asked. Because remember, he can feel very well.**_

_**Thank you for reviewing. :)**_

_**By the way, I'm terrible at going back and reviewing my work… Thank you for pointing that out for me, Clearwater, I'll make sure I proofread. And I'll go back and fix everything else!**_

_**I do not own Maximum Ride, my loves. :)**_

_Nudge's POV :_

I was so sick and tired of these tests, my body was aching and weaker than I had ever felt before. At times, I couldn't help myself but to wretch horribly in the Whitecoats' presence and fall to the floor shaking violently. They hit me harder and forced me to my feet, pulled my hair back, and threatened to use the new experimental Erasers on me. I allowed silent tears to run down my cheeks as a wordless answer, frightened beyond recognition.

These Erasers had definitely gone through years of new technology and experiments. And I wasn't over exaggerating. Their teeth had grown in size when they were fully-morphed, practically dripping venom from the tips. Their bones were probably just as light as mine were, enabling them to fly better now with their large, russet wings.

They glowered at me as I sat chained to the table, waiting for the Whitecoats to finish up taking blood from me and send me back to my cage. The bitter cold floor of my "pen" was the only sort of comfort I hung onto here.

"Come on sweetie," one whitecoat said to me, unhooking the chains from my wrists. His fake tone couldn't fool me; I had been here long enough when I was young to know. I sighed as he picked me up off the floor, being cautious to not touch the blood that was drawn across my wrists from the clasps. "Time to go back to your cage."

He pushed me through the corridor, gentler than most would have done but still rough enough to make me grit my teeth. I had lost the will to fight anymore; what was the use? This was a different place than what I remembered of the School. The smell was different. All the rooms were different. There was no way Iggy and Max and the rest of them were going to be able to find me with nothing to lead them.

"You know, we originally weren't looking for _you_," the man said to me. "We wanted that leader of yours; the tough one that has evaded our sight for years. She was one of the most perfect specimens we've ever created who didn't seem to have any apparent… flaws."

I shivered at the sound of his words, as he talked about Max. I always hated how much they all thought of us as things or "creations". We were only two percent bird, after all. I grimaced.

"But we did found you," he continued, stopping suddenly by the door that entered into my cage room. "And you're carrying something we're _very _interested in."

He snickered and I looked up to meet the eyes of a terror-filled girl in a mirror in front of me. Her eyes were dark underneath, like purple shadows in the middle of twilight, and were crusted with dry tears. "A pitiful sight" would be the first thought by anyone who looked at her, including me now.

I felt the tears start to form in my eyes and it reflected in the mirror easily, causing the face to break apart.

"You're not going anywhere just yet," he hissed in my ear just as my eyes moved down to the curve of my stomach underneath the gown they forced me in.

I was thrown back into the cage mercilessly, and I fought hard to not fall flat on my stomach. I stumbled, whimpering gently as I dug my nails into the hard floor though I could hardly move my legs. The Whitecoat snickered and soon he was gone, leaving me alone in the dark room like both nights before.

_Hours past…_

I couldn't sleep; I was too thirsty to sleep. The only thing they seemed to give me was enough food in the morning to keep me barely okay through the day. But they failed to realize the extra weight I was carrying, and how much more food I desperately needed to keep both of us healthy. Or maybe they did know, and didn't care. That sounded more plausible.

I lay on my back, my wings spread out as far as they could go inside the cage that couldn't hold my entire span, and kept my eyes open despite my exhaustion. I wanted badly to see the real sky again, not the excuse for a ceiling above me. It looked as if it was leaking, but I couldn't tell for sure.

Had it been raining? It felt like it had been ages since I saw the last sight of that thirst-quenching liquid.

My stomach churned gently from hunger and I pressed my hands to the top of it, soothingly.

"Everything will be all right," I whispered, not knowing if I was talking to the baby or myself. I sighed.

Who was I kidding? Absolutely no one. I had no choice but to live with this until it was over for me; until, possibly, over for Iggy's baby.

I closed my eyes and let my mind stop on that last sentence, not allowing it to continue even further into hurt. That would make everything worse.

After long minutes, I felt my mind start to slip cautiously into darkness. That peace didn't stay long.

"Nudge," a voice broke the darkness followed by a low scratching noise. I jolted awake automatically and sat up, my mind already turning in astonishment at the sound of my own name.

I looked around, towards the door, and back around, my breath coming quick between my parted lips.

"Hello?" I whispered, without thinking. My heart was racing.

More scratching.

"Nudge," the voice repeated, closer to my cage now than I expected.

I felt like screaming, but I was too terrified to make a sound. The Eraser was staring at me, fully-morphed and mouth open as he panted. He wasn't glaring or snarling, but just his face was enough to make anyone cry with fear. I pressed myself back against the cage farthest from him, hyperventilating.

His eyebrows were furrowing. "Oh, damn it, forgot." His features were changing slowly back to a normal human's, despite the dark wings that I could see behind his back. His eyes were blue and his skin white, hurting me gently as he looked so much like Iggy. I glowered at that once the pain was gone.

I had seen this Eraser once before, while the others tied me to a chair and did what felt like ultrasounds to my stomach. When I protested, they clawed my arms and my screams seemed to satisfy them greatly. Except him.

He hadn't looked at me, didn't participate in anything they had done to me. And his darker wings made him look like he was an outsider. But it still didn't make me trust him. I was beyond trust at this point.

"Sorry about that," he said to me, smiling now with normal teeth. "I have some water."

I stared at him, licking my chapped lips despite myself with longing. He took a water bottle out from his back pocket and tossed it gently through the bars. I watched as it rolled toward me and stopped within perfect reach. I had to wrench my eyes away from the odd Eraser in front of me to wince at the sight of cold water.

"It's just water," he said, gently. "Drink it. You haven't had water in twenty six hours, Nudge."

I stared back at him carefully, finding his eyes away from me now inspecting the locked cage. Making sure he wasn't looking, I snatched the icy water bottle and tore off the lid with heavy anticipation. I felt the whole bottle drain down my throat in milliseconds, causing a cool sensation to run beautifully through my body. I gasped and opened my eyes again, finding him walking back and forth.

"If only I had snatched the damn key," he was muttering to himself. "It would have made things so much easier."

I watched him, unable to speak for a long time; more like not knowing what to say. I swallowed and made sure my throat wasn't dry.

"Who are you?" I said, picking the best question in my head out of the dozens.

He stopped pacing, looking up to the top of the cage and back down, smirking like he had just solved a puzzle.

"My name is Logan, the first-tested experiment of the new highbred Erasers with lower bone weight and stronger wing flow," he was speaking as if he was a recording from a movie. "You could call me the 'failure' for my wings are different and my eyes are becoming blinder and blinder each passing day."

He stopped, looking at me without an expression on his face.

"I've come to take you away from this place."


	7. Sight

_**Luckily, it seems like my classes won't be giving me much homework or work at all so I can write more!**_

_**And today in PE since we did nothing, I talked to my friend about these stories, and gained ideas.**_

_**Yes, I know, I slack in PE. :]**_

_**But, hopefully, these chapters come out as good as planned!**_

_**Much love to my reviewers. :]**_

_**And by the way, since it's annoying me, I know Erasers were extinct, but hopefully you saw that it's a "new" highbred species. Just making sure you know, all right?**_

_**Total is off with Akila. **_

_Iggy's POV :_

"Iggy, wake up please," I could hear Max speaking to me gently, her hand touching my cheek. "We need to be on our way."

I kept my eyes closed, sitting up from my rock bed with stiffness. Max took her hand and I heard her walk away from me, stopping yards away next to Fang. I didn't say anything to her; it had been so long since I had talked to anyone else in the flock.

Except, maybe, in my mind.

_Iggy, I need you to see something. _Angel found it necessary to talk in my mind, as if I needed that right now.

_Go away, please, Angel. I don't want to talk to anyone… You know that._

_But I need to show you something. I figured it out while you slept._

Angel was standing right next to me, close enough I could reach out and touch her leg. She nudged me gently, trying to get me to my feet. I sighed.

_Get up, please. I don't want Max and Fang to see yet. And we have a little while until Gazzy gets back._

She took me by the arm and pulled me upwards, not trying hard enough to lift me but just trying to make a definite point. I took my arm away and stood on my feet with no help, feeling Angel walk behind me.

_Is that better?_ I made the words bitter.

_Open your wings, as far as they can go._

I pulled my eyebrows down, confused at her thoughts.

_Just do it, Iggy._

I obeyed, and soon my wings were spread out to touch the walls of the cave, relaxing my tense muscles from the slumber on the hard ground. Angel's small hands pressed to my back between where each individual wing met, making a shiver run up my spine.

_Don't move._

I stiffened, perplexed beyond anything as she pressed her always-warm palms into my shirt determined.

But that's when it hit me, harder than someone punching me straight in the face.

I could _see _again, everything clearly sharp like my eyes had just been reborn and refocused. Max and Fang were staring oddly at me, talking in worried tones. They were so much different, so much older than I remembered them looking like so very long ago; years and years ago.

I couldn't blink my eyes, afraid the beautiful scene of the blue sky would vanish like the sun in a storm. I hadn't seen anything like it.

_But… How…?_

_I can show you any vision I have in my head, like a movie on a real life screen. Just like my thoughts can be transferred to you, you can now use my sight._

The scene was starting to blur, and my lips parted immediately to speak against it. She hissed inside my head and I shut my mouth quickly.

_Iggy, I can show you everything. I've __**never **__been able to do this before…_

A sea of trees was blocking my view of the sun now, and I noticed quickly that we were in somewhere completely different than where we stood on the cliff. I couldn't move around to see the scenery though I definitely wanted to, knowing I was looking through Angel's eyes.

I had never seen anything more beautiful: the sight of the wind whistling purely through the trees, the shade of green the grass held, and the way everything just seemed to set into its own place. The pair of eyes I stared through moved down to the railing, giving me the sight of what I remember holding so many nights. I sighed gently, almost wanting to ask Angel to take me out of this place before I started to hurt too much.

But that was when we turned around, towards the whole porch, and I saw her sitting there. She was staring, through me, out into the trees with a soft look on her face. The soft look I remembered running my hands over while she smiled or even cried. I didn't think I'd ever be able to see it, never in my life. I was afraid I wouldn't.

_Please, get me out of here…_

I marveled at her beauty, not being able to keep myself from finding the soft curve of her stomach that I remembered soothing not too long ago.

"_Angel, please, stop!" _I didn't know I had said that aloud before it was too late. Angel's hands retreated from my back, and every single shade of color vanished from the eyes I borrowed. I shut them, wincing as I gasped for breath.

_Don't give up on us, Iggy. Don't give up on her._

I shut my mind out, afraid to hear any thoughts, trying hard not to tear up at the picture of Nudge now implanted into my brain, where it would stay.

"Iggy?" Max was calling me. I snapped my head up. "Iggy, are you all right? Angel?"

"We're okay," Angel said, her voice coming from in front of me. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to anger him. I was trying to help…"

I flinched.

"Iggy," I was nearly surprised to hear Fang's voice, close to me now. I felt my pulse racing.

"Just like Angel said," I murmured.

I half-expected to hear Angel's voice in my head but it didn't appear. Fang didn't say anything else; he wasn't able to. The sound of swooping wings could be detected miles away from my sensitive ears.

"Max!" I heard Gazzy's voice and a pair of feet touched the cave ground. "I found it! The School!"

_**Shorter than normal, I know. And I usually don't do author note's at the end of these chapters, I know. :)**_

_**But I needed to fix in this chapter, it's very important as you can see. Super important. :)**_

_**I'll be back soon to write. Please review as much as possible, I'd like to see 50. :)**_


	8. Angel's Eyes

_**Hello my reviewers. :)**_

_**Sorry I've been gone for a little bit. I've been sick and haven't been sleeping much.**_

_**My boyfriend kept telling me, "Get some sleep, the story can wait!"**_

_**I don't listen very well but I did force myself to take time off.**_

_**By the way, his name is Logan. Just in case you're wondering where I got the name "Logan" from. :D**_

_**Hope you guys didn't miss me too much!**_

_Nudge's POV :_

My mouth and eyes were wide open with pure astonishment, unable to process any legitimate thoughts in my brain. The Eraser, Logan, didn't take a moment to look at my face. With his wings, he half-climbed, half-flew up to the top of the cage where it connected to the dark ceiling.

"Don't move, okay?" he called quietly from where he grasped the poles, his wings supporting him. "I'm already trying to make the least amount of noise possible."

He grasped two of the poles and pushed downwards, making a slight clanking noise ring out into the dark room. I held my breath and saw Logan do the same, hoping it wasn't loud enough for anyone to hear.

Carefully, he climbed down the cage and jumped to the ground. "We've gotta go now, Nudge."

I stared at him with glassy eyes, not knowing how to react. How could I trust him? What if it was a trap? What if it wasn't and he got caught? We'd both be killed horribly, and I didn't want my baby to suffer.

His mixed blue eyes stared at me with anxiety, reminding me much of Iggy's hurt face when I cried in his arms. I couldn't get his face out of my mind when this Eraser looked at me.

Logan rose up the unhooked latch of the door, free now because of the movement of the poles. He stepped inside and stopped himself before he could move toward me more.

"You have to trust me, sweetie," he said softly to me. "They have so much more horrible things to do to you… And the child."

I looked at him, frightened now, clutching my stomach. He leaned over and picked me up easily, not waiting for an answer. Gently, he placed me on his back, making sure my arms hooked to his neck safely.

"Don't let go," he murmured to me. "It'll be a long way out of here."

Without being able to stop myself, I pressed my face into the cushion of his blonde hair and closed my eyes against it all. I couldn't help but to mistake him as Iggy being the one carrying me out of this place.

_Where are you?_

_Iggy's POV :_

Angel held my hand tight, helping lead me through the network of trees around us. I knew I didn't need someone to guide me like this; I could feel anything around me better than anyone else. But I didn't protest, afraid Angel would try to give me another painful vision to remind me what we were after.

_I'm not going to do that, Iggy._

I sighed aloud quietly.

"After all these years, and the School stands just as tall," Max muttered under her breath sourly. "It looks even bigger."

Angel stiffened by my side, taking my hand and tracing it along the wired fence to the right of us.

"What is it?" I meant to ask it in my head but it blurted itself out.

"Something's wrong," Angel said quietly, though I knew the rest of the flock could hear.

Everyone else stopped moving around me, listening. I probably was the first one to hear it. The siren sound was quiet at first but then grew to become loud, like an ambulance going fast down a street. I held my breath in agony, wanting badly to see where it was centered from though I already knew perfectly well.

"What is that?" Gazzy said franticly, before I could. "Have they spotted us? Max, what's wrong?"

"Nudge," Fang said, too loud to be in a whisper.

"Do you think she's escaped?" Max said, in a cautious tone. I tried not to pull my eyebrows together. "Or escaping?"

"I don't know, Max. But we can't go in if that's the case. We'll be spotted in an instant."

I spun around to where Fang's voice was located, without being able to control myself. I flung at him, taking hold of the collar of his shirt with frustration.

"You can't honestly tell me we're _not _going in there," I hissed, gritting my teeth. "My whole life is stuck in there."

Fang didn't move, not trying to fight away from my grip. I hung on anyway, feeling the tears well up against my will.

"You can go ahead and abandon her," I said, angrily. "But I'm not!"

I pushed him away and forced myself through the brush blindly, ignoring the branches I hit. A soft hand grabbed me before I could get far, stopping me from tripping over the log that my foot hit. I expected it to be Angel, but when the hand drew me into a tight hug; I knew it could only be Max.

"Iggy," she whispered through my embarrassing sobs. I didn't answer, mostly unable to. Where had I gotten all this sadness from? I never wanted to use emotion in my life; it was always every human's vital weakness and could break even the strongest man down. I hated crying, absolutely hated it. It reminded me too much of feeling Nudge's tears fall down my fingertips.

_Nudge… My everything…_

"Iggy, we're _not _abandoning her," she soothed me. "There's nothing on this _Earth _that would make us abandon her."

I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing the tears to stop behind my eyelids. I had to trust Max; I had trusted her for years. There wasn't any way she'd betray any of us. I took myself away but didn't have the strength to walk anywhere else. Angel strode over and kept a hand against my arm.

"I can read their thoughts," she said quietly, nervous. "Some of the guards' thoughts by the entrance are saying that the "winged-girl's" cage has been broken _in _to."

"Broken in to?" Fang's voice was sudden, as if he had been forced from deep thought. "You mean as in, someone busted her out?"

"Yes. They're pretty… unhappy about it, I could say."

"What about Nudge?" I whispered, finding her hand to grip it. "What do they know about her? Did she escape?"

Angel stiffened, concentrating hard at the thoughts I could never hear. I waited, as did the flock, in tension.

"By the way they're cursing inside their heads; I could say she's escaped."

I felt the wash of relief flow through me. I found Angel's head frozen next to me and I pressed my face down into her hair.

"God, thank you," I kissed her hair gently.

"How do we get to her though?" Gazzy asked suddenly. "Where is she? Can you find her thoughts, Angel?"

I could feel all the frozen stares in my direction, though Angel didn't move a muscle. I breathed in silently, telling myself it'd be all right now. We'd find her easily with Angel's new update in her mind-reading ability. I hoped so, with all my heart.

"Her thoughts don't make sense," she said, murmuring. "They're all scattered and misplaced. Each one I focus on, it's something completely away from everything going on here. It's almost like…. Like a dream."

I scrunched my eyebrows together, perplexed by her words.

"A dream?" Max asked. "She's asleep…? Then how…?"

Angel's body shuddered massively, taking me fully by surprise. I snapped my head away.

"Angel!" Max screamed with me.

And just like that, I could see again like I had just been given the newest kind of sight in the world. Fang was standing the farthest away, staring through the gates with a worried expression on his face. I had never seen that in his voice. Max was staring at Angel, looking like the only other person who had seen Angel's spasm other than me.

Fang looked over, looking at me first before going down to Angel, curiously frightened. Gazzy finally followed his lead.

"Angel?" Gazzy asked. "Are you all right?"

I looked down at her, something I don't think I had done before. She was still shivering but other than that, she looked perfectly normal. Her head was bowed. I frowned uneasily, feeling Angel's hand clutch around my arm.

_Angel, what are you doing? Take the sight away from me before you get hurt._

_You have to see Nudge to save her, Iggy. I'll let you borrow my sight._

_What…?_

_I'll be fine; you never told me how heightened all your other senses were. It's actually pretty awesome._

I stared at her, astonished beyond any words. She sighed gently and took her hand away from my arm, making me rigid with anticipation for the sudden blackness I'd plunge into like the last time. It didn't come.

Her empty eyes stared up at me, her lips smiling. I could see each strand of her hair perfectly.

"I'm fine, don't worry guys," Angel said, turning her head to Gazzy's direction. Her expression didn't change. "I found where Nudge is."

I looked around at them, finding their expressions consisting of wide eyes and lips parted in a deep breath. Max looked at me quickly, biting her lip as if I'd break down again. She was so much older than what I remembered so long ago back in the school.

I opened my mouth to speak, figuring out they probably didn't know I could see them all.

"She's just fine, in a sense that is," Angel went on, her eyebrows pulled together in a confused matter. "According to this Eraser's mind, she's supposed to be delivering soon."

Everything suddenly stopped dead in its tracks. Every single form of life around us didn't utter a sound. The siren became quickly lost in the background.

The only words I heard were:

Delivering.

And Eraser.

_**This chapter took longer than I thought… But finally it's done.**_

_**The next chapter will be up soon. Who knows what I'll put into it?**_

_**I'm not even sure yet.**_

_**Good thing I have a writing mind; every idea I get comes straight out of an ocean of nothingness. (I've gotten that compliment before).**_


	9. Dreams

_**This chapter was on my mind all day. Like most huge chapters.**_

_**Thanks for the review from googlefish! That review is hilarious, I loved it.**_

_**Then again, I love everyone's reviews and I thank you all so much!**_

_**Since Logan is away now; I can write!**_

_**Nudge's POV :**_

I was becoming more conscious now as I felt the person carrying me, his chest heaving, slowly start to take me off his back. I opened my eyes, seeing everything blurry and dark at first, as he placed me gently against a tree truck. I regained eyesight just as he collapsed against another tree—fully morphed. I cringed.

He breathed roughly, his teeth shown in the moonlight from his open mouth, giving him the appearance of a rabid werewolf. Out of all the years of being hunted by every Eraser known, I couldn't help but feel my body become washed over in fear. If he wanted to destroy me now, I'd be nothing but a kicking bunny to him.

Logan looked over at me, and I felt my breath stop clean in my throat. "Sorry, they didn't give me ever-lasting stamina. I can barely breathe when I'm trying to run with one hundred pounds on my back."

He smiled, showing me he wasn't trying to be rude. Gradually, his appearance turned back to his human-looking form again and I let myself breathe.

"Are you all right?" he asked me, quietly concerned. "You should sleep more; carrying all that extra weight will tire you quickly. Don't worry, I'll stay on guard. I just need to rest for a moment."

I looked at him, astounded by the way he was treating me. I was sure every single Eraser created had been put in a chip that made them like a man-eating robot. I bit my lip, knowing I couldn't keep silent anymore.

"And you would know, wouldn't you?" I asked, curious. "Have you been around a girl carrying a baby?"

I don't know what I said that made his expression change, but the gentleness in his expression suddenly became hard and almost painful. He looked away from me, towards the other trees, like he hadn't heard me. I pressed my lips together.

"I need to find Iggy," I whispered but then quickly added, "And my friends. I need to find my friends."

He didn't look at me again, but his expression started to work its way back to nothing again. "Is Iggy the father?"

I nodded, knowing he'd see me out of the corner of his eye.

"We'll go once you rest some," he said, sighing. "If they really are looking for you, Nudge, then they'll find you soon enough."

I didn't know if that was an insult or not, but it sure didn't sound like a compliment. I sighed gently and pressed my hand to my stomach soothingly, calming my anxiety down to a minor extent. I had two months left, didn't I? I shouldn't worry about that moment any time soon but it still stuck heavy in my mind. I could see Logan's blue pupils by the corner of his eyes, looking carefully at the ground next to me. At least, I thought that was what he was looking at.

"Get to sleep," he said, digging his fingers into the dirt-floor. "Don't be alarmed with my wolf-form, all right? It's a little… Different than the Erasers you remember. I need it to get a better feel of what's around us."

I didn't need reassurance, but I knew that if I woke up and saw him in his Eraser form; our cover would be easily blown. I stared over at him and saw his eyes completely lost into the woods, staring at one spot without movement. I sighed underneath my breath and leaned my head back against the tree trunk.

In my sleep, I felt Iggy's arms around me and his head on my shoulder.

_**Logan's POV :**_

I knew it had been probably over two hours, considering the way the darkness changed ever-so-slightly to a lighter color. Unfortunately for the humans, the night looked just the same to them.

I heard Nudge make a sound as she moved gently in her uncomfortable slumber, causing my eyes to snap over her immediately. Her hands were shaking as they clutched her stomach, along with her irregular breathing. I frowned.

It couldn't be that cold, could it? I huffed gently out through my muzzle, seeing the foggy breath escape into the air. I grimaced. Of course I can't feel anything, not with my 120 degree fur.

I looked over at her and whined gently, feeling my old instincts kick in when Lily's face popped into my mind. Maybe that was what made me save this winged-girl that all the scientists were so interested in… Lily was always so cold…

I growled and forced the thoughts out of my mind, rolling over to all fours away from the tree. Nudge whimpered quietly, shaking more madly now and I couldn't help myself to make my way over to her. I was breaking all rules now.

"Nudge, wake up, you're fine," I tried to soothe her in my raspy voice, sitting down close to her.

Her eyebrows scrunched down over her closed eyes as her bottom lip quivered. I nuzzled her gently but she shook harder. As carefully as I could, I lay down next to her, curling into a furry ball by her side in an attempt to warm her. She stopped shaking for a second, and I feared that she awoke. But gently, ever so gently, I felt her weight slowly begin to grow stronger on my cushion of dark pelt. I turned my head and found her half-laying on me, her fingers grasping hard into my fur. I didn't move, and she finally stopped shivering so badly, relieving me.

Closing my eyes made me dream, and I never could make myself sleep anymore. The memories were horrible, tainting my mind with sadness that I didn't want or ask for. They thought they had erased my memory. They thought they had taken all of my free will away. And sometimes I even wished they had, so I didn't have to force it into dark like it had never been anything. Lily didn't deserve that…

I hid my nose underneath my paws.

_It was dark; that was all my life seemed to be anymore. There wasn't any moon, just small little points of light where stars seemed to be glued to. I stared at them, quietly, afraid and sad, but they never moved._

_Lily wasn't asleep either; I could hear her moving around in the room that connected to the porch I stood on. I wanted her to go back to sleep, but I wanted so badly to hold her. I could feel my limbs aching._

"_Lily," I said to her, still sadly. "What's wrong sweetheart?"_

"_Ask yourself that question, Logan, please," she said back to me, closer now. "You're scaring me so badly, and holding me like I'm about to fade away into the darkness, though you know I couldn't go anywhere. I'm not going anywhere. I'm afraid to go anywhere."_

_I turned to her but she was right next to me in an instant, her cloudy eyes staring out into the distance. I wanted to follow her eyes, so I could forget about reality alongside her. But she wouldn't let me._

"_Look at me, Logan," her eyes came to mine. "I'm a mess, caught up in everything that's going on around us like it's magnetized to me. I don't know what to do and I'm scared. She's scared."_

_Her lips were quivering, and her eyes were crying solid, painful tears as she grasped my immobile hands. I stared at her, hearing the words of the baby ring themselves inside my head like a bell. She clutched my fingers to her stomach and held them there._

"_Her heart's beating like a butterfly," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I can feel it when I'm asleep."_

_Her eyes reflected my face and I could see the salty tears mirroring her own on my cheeks. It made me cry harder._

"_I can feel it," I whispered back, wrapping her arms around my waist and bringing her to my chest. "I can feel it perfectly."_

_Her head dug itself into my chest, trying to hide from everything that dismantled around her. I couldn't speak, afraid too, because I knew my voice broke everything more apart. Without words, I pressed my forehead to her hair, and threw my mind away._

_I knew what was happening when she started shaking, so I soothed her in the best way I had ever known: drawing circles on her back, placing my lips to her skin, murmuring loving words that could barely be heard. I was surprised it had ever lasted this long._

_Because the shot rang out, like screeching tires on pavement, and soon her shaking led her to gripping my arms. I didn't open my eyes, just cried._

_I was dying too._

I heard someone scream loudly, pulling me from the memory. I shook my head, noticing I hadn't morphed back into human like I usually did when my guard was down.

Nudge was screaming and sobbing loudly, her eyes open that leaked tears. I scrambled up, feeling her fingernails that were buried into my skin be wrenched away like needles. I whimpered.

"Nudge," I said franticly, trying to shush her. "What's wrong?"

She looked at me, her pupils wide and frightened beyond anything I had ever seen.

"Logan…" she gasped, her hands now covering her stomach. "What's happening? What's wrong? I can barely breathe!"

My breath caught in my throat, allowing my brain to register everything that I knew was happening. She scrunched her eyes shut, crying out in small whimpers like she had just been electrocuted multiple times. She probably has been before. I had seen it done to others more than I could count.

I stared at her, not knowing what to do, knowing there probably wasn't anything I _could _do.

"_Iggy!" _she cried the word aloud.

_**Iggy's POV :**_

I heard the terrified scream, and my name being cried out desperately into the night.

It had probably come from miles away.

"_Nudge," _All expression leaked from my tone.


	10. Savior

_**It's Saturday night… And I'm tired. I'm also watching football. Football is so great… :D**_

_**To Roxy, since I know you're going to read this eventually…**_

_**I LOVE YOU.**_

_**Iggy's POV :**_

I was frantic, running through the thick trees of the forest as fast as I possibly could. I didn't take any of the precious time to look behind me, to see if the others were following me, afraid I'd lose the direction I was going. _I couldn't give up on her. I couldn't._

The way I smashed over brush and scraped against the rough bark of the trees made me almost look still blind. I couldn't let that be a problem either, especially not now. Angel probably wouldn't be able to use this unnatural gift again…

"_Iggy!" _I heard a voice scream my name and my eyes widened, anticipating Nudge around me. "_Stop!"_

I glanced behind me and saw Fang and Max running as well yards behind me. I knew I couldn't outrun Fang.

Sooner than I wanted, I felt Fangs rough hands clasp around my arms and shove me against the nearest tree, causing my teeth to chatter. I glared at him angrily, attempting to push him away but failing quickly. He looked so much different than I remembered.

"God damn it, Iggy," Max's voice was frustrated behind him, but she seemed sympathetic. "Don't you know better than that? You don't know if she's being held by fifteen Erasers just waiting to ambush us. You can't even _see._"

I stared at Fang, trying to make it unobvious that I could see his dark eyes. He didn't say anything but the pressure he put on my arms didn't need any words. I gritted my teeth.

"Let me go, Fang," I snapped.

"Only if you don't run, Iggy," Fang answered. "We do this together; you're not the only one who loves her."

I felt my eyes sting and the pull of my heart went downward, making every tense muscle in my body calm sickeningly. I murmured quietly. "Not as much as me."

Fang let go of me, his eyes softening gently before they cast down to the ground. He stepped away and Max came up to stand in front of me, her hands taking my shoulders briskly.

"We have to keep low; the Erasers could be anywhere and we have to locate her _quietly._"

She looked at me solemnly, making sure I understood. I didn't answer or move one inch.

"Angel says she's with Gazzy up in one of the trees," Fang said quietly. "They'll be safe there as long as they don't make a sound."

She didn't take her eyes off of me, "knowing" I couldn't see her sad, worried expression towards me. She knew better than to feel bad for me or anything of the sort. I wondered how many of these expressions she gave me during all those years of being sightless.

"Let's go guys," she said. "We can't wait around here and get caught ourselves."

Carefully, she wrapped her hand around my fingers, in her way of leading me through the forest so I wouldn't bump into something. I opened my mouth to protest, but quickly shut it. There wasn't any use in arguing.

I wasn't sure how long we ran aimlessly through the forest that grew thicker by the minute. I was hardly keeping track of anything around me, only paying attention to the new images I had in my head of seeing everything again. I had to store it in my memory for as long as I could, especially images of her…

What had she looked like, the night I told her I had fallen in love with her? What did she look like when she cried those many nights, without my knowing?

_I held her close, one hand stroking her cheek softly as I could feel the upturn of her lips. It was rather cold out here in the late-fall twilight, but I couldn't help but to feel warmer than ever. She was perfectly still and I shielded her from the chilly wind._

_I wished so badly that I could see her eyes, looking up at me as I felt they were. I knew the color, I knew the texture. But somehow, I wanted to see more._

"_Are you cold?" she asked me. I smiled, wondering why I hadn't asked the question first since I knew I should have._

"_No I'm not, but are you?" _

"_I'm perfectly fine." Her soft voice made my heart stutter and I took my hand away from her face only to wrap it again around her back. She sighed gently and pressed the side of her face against my chest, allowing me to pull her up closer against me. I probably should have found a better place to lay or sit other than the wall outside the house on the porch. But she didn't seem to mind, so I said nothing._

_We stayed like that for a long while, even after the sun went down and I knew Gazzy and Angel were probably already in bed. I could hear some shuffling going on in the living room, and recognized it as the quiet footsteps of Fang. He never neared the door, and I thanked him mentally for that._

"_They've known all along, you know," she whispered to me suddenly. "Aside from Angel of course, Fang knew first."_

_I chuckled gently in my throat and placed my chin on her head. "I guess it wasn't that unobvious but we both know how Fang loves to eavesdrop."_

_She giggled and I smiled at the sound, almost wishing Fang had heard that remark._

"_Iggy," her voice was more serious now and I closed my eyes. " 'If this ain't love then how do we get out?' "_

_The words were said carefully and I was confused by the way she spoke them. I didn't say anything, hoping she would say something more so I wouldn't sound like a moron in asking her._

" '_She said I don't hate you boy, I just want to save you while there's still something left to save,' " she whispered the song words like she was talking normally, making me smile into her hair._

" '_That's when I told her I love you girl,' " my voice was barely speaking the words, but I knew she'd understand. " 'But I'm not the answer to the questions you still have.' "_

_She took my hand and I held my breath. "Yes you are, Iggy."_

_Her lips touched the faintest of touches against my palm. I closed my fingertips over it to keep it locked there forever._

I stopped running abruptly, wrenching my hand from Max's grasp quickly. She and Fang both stopped as well, looking at me bizarrely as my eyes widened at the misplaced dirt on the ground.

"Iggy, what—" But Max cut short in mid sentence, and I knew she had heard it too.

Beneath the strange growling that sounded like a mad dog, I could hear the whimpering of a frightened human voice—a girl's voice, _my _girl's voice.

She screamed.

**A/N By the way, the song lyrics up there are performed by the band "Rise Against" and it's called "Savior". Just so you know that I do NOT own it!**

**Thank you for reading. Review?:)**


	11. Agony

_**Okay, wow, all I can say is I'm so very, super-duper sorry.**_

_**My computer crashed and I flipped out because that meant I couldn't update… And I didn't know what to do.**_

_**Luckily, my mind still stored all the things I wanted to do for the story so I'm not completely lost.**_

_**I'm sorry my lovely reviewers, can you please forgive me?**_

_Logan's POV :_

I heard them from a mile away with my oversensitive hearing, knowing they were closing in on both of us fast. I glanced worriedly over to Nudge, hearing her whimpers gradually become more painful as I kept the warmth of my coat against her. She wasn't going to last long, I could tell easily. _But what on Earth could I do?_

"Nudge, shhh," I spoke to her, nuzzling my snout against her helplessly. "I'm going to get you to safety, okay? Just, please, hang on a bit longer."

But where could I take her? The only place I knew was close was the laboratory where they had kept both of us, and that wasn't ever going to be an option on my list. I'd rather die than take her back to that godforsaken place.

She was gasping, quieter now, and I started to think faster than I ever had before. Maybe if I changed, I'd carry her to somewhere deep in the woods and…

But she screamed, loud in my ears. I stopped moving immediately, my ears perked up in dread.

"_Nudge!" _Someone was calling her name, confusing me greatly. Could it really be her friends? I couldn't take that chance.

Without bothering to turn back to my human form, I jumped in front of Nudge, using myself as a wall between the trees in front of me and her gasping form. I didn't think much about what consequences could face me if it wasn't her friends.

"Here!" this voice was a girl's, unlike the first voice, and at that instant the brush in front of me shook to life. Clumsily, a tall, skinny, pale boy burst through the leaves, his chest heaving thickly with loss of breath. Every single fiber of me tensed as a reaction.

When he looked at me, all breath from his body suddenly stopped in an instant. His unusually misty, blue eyes widened with what looked like fear, but I could easily make out all the agony and pain behind his features. Years and years of not being able to show any emotion of my own had given me the power to see anyone's. And his was written plainly all over his face in permanent marker.

Soon he was joined by one other boy and a girl, both of them stopping in their tracks when they caught sight of me. I snarled, letting my instincts get the best of me.

It wasn't long at all until the first boy's eyes located Nudge's shaking form behind me.

"Nudge…" his voice was shattered and without looking at me, he began to walk forward.

"Iggy, don't!" the girl said suddenly, making me calm the growls rumbling in my throat immediately.

"Iggy?" But before I was able to say something more, I felt something smash against my face and I could feel the crunching of a tree as I slammed into it. I gasped and choked under his fingers at my throat, feeling every ounce of anger gush from his grip.

"_What the hell have you done to her?"_ he growled into my face, his eyes though frantic.

I choked desperately for breath, feeling my head begin to ache. I stared at him and squirmed, gradually changing back to my human form.

"Let… Me… Breathe…" I barely managed to get the words out, and his eyes widened at the human shape I took. Quickly, his hand forced away, allowing me to cough spit to the ground and wheeze as breath filled my lungs. But he didn't move away.

"Iggy!" the other boy and girl were behind us now, crouching by Nudge, trying to calm her down, but the voice didn't come from them. "Stop!"

He tore his shocked eyes away from me and turned towards the sudden voice to the right of us, his breath coming in quick gasps. Another smaller girl stood there, her hand grasping Iggy's shoulder tightly.

"Stop _now_," her voice was tensed and too firm for a girl her age, but Iggy's hand unclenched from my arm gradually. "Your job is to help Nudge."

I stared at her and back to him, seeing Iggy's eyes cast down in pain at her remark. Without saying a word, he strode quickly over to Nudge's side where the girl was shushing her. The boy was staring at me, expressionless.

"You don't move," the girl said to me, not as harshly. I looked at her, still breathing a little hard but didn't move a muscle.

"What did you _do_?" it was the older girl this time.

"He didn't do anything," the girl said before I could even open my mouth. "They made it so her pregnancy skipped a few months; she's delivering _now_."

I stared at her with such confusion but she never did look either of us in the eye.

"Maximum," the unnamed boy was looking at the older girl now.

Maximum _Ride_? Was it really her?

"I know, Fang," she replied, not looking at him, just taking Nudge's face between her hands.

Soon, Nudge was up in Fang's arms, her eyes squeezed shut. Iggy was speaking to her, so softly I could barely hear but Maximum took him by the arm before he could follow. His eyes were close to tears.

"Angel, stay with Iggy," she was looking at the girl close to me.

"_No!_" Iggy was quick to react to the words spoken, forcing himself from Maximum's grasp. She was quicker.

Without much gentleness, she pushed him against the tree giving Angel enough time to come to their side. "Iggy, please calm _down. _Fang and I have this under control, all right? Just stay here with Angel."

Iggy stared at her exasperated, but he didn't speak. Without another word, Maximum released her hold and disappeared in the same direction Fang had gone carrying Nudge. Angel strode over to Iggy's shaking form gradually after that and I watched as he slid down the tree's trunk to the ground.

It wasn't long until screams interrupted the forest scene, worst than I had ever heard before.

…

_Two hours later._

_Iggy's POV :_

I couldn't explain to anyone how hard it was for me to breathe, sitting there in agony, listening to the words Angel was sending to my brain of what was going on in Max and Fangs'. None of it was soothing at all, no matter how hard she tried. Eventually, she gave up and I was truly alone.

That is until I heard the rushing of leaves to the right of us, and Fang popped into view holding my life in his arms.

"Iggy," he spoke as I scrambled to my feet.

"Nudge. Is she all right? Is everything okay?"

I went over to stand in front of him so I could be closer to Nudge's sleeping body in his arms. Her face proved she was out cold, though I could still see small beads of sweat on her temples.

"Yes, Iggy. She's fine and everything is all right. Take her and let her rest as she pleases." I could see the small worried lines across his forehead though his voice sounded like nothing of the sort.

Carefully, he placed Nudge into my arms, making sure I had a good hold on her like I was blind. To him, I still was.

"The baby?" my lips moved without my approval before I could stop myself. He looked at my eyes for a long time.

"She's fine," he breathed. A girl. Just like Nudge had wanted. "She'll be fine. Just don't worry."

I didn't answer and he gave a half-hearted smile. "Keep her warm." He glanced at Angel and left silently through the bushes.

I snapped my mind out of every worst possible scenario, forcing myself to focus on my number one priority of taking care of Nudge. She quivered gently in my arms as if reminding me of the bitter cold that surrounded us. I wrapped my arms around her tighter and unfurled my wings to bring me up to the flat branch overhead. Laying myself down, I hid her face into the warmth of my jacket.

"Wrap your wings around her for insulation." The voice took me off guard and I stared down at the boy who spoke, the one who hadn't said a word since I threatened him. I growled gently, unable to stop myself; he smelled horribly of Eraser.

"It'll work, trust me," he said quietly. Angel glanced in his general direction.

"And how would you know?" I muttered, looking at Nudge.

"I was stuck in a cage once, in a forty degree weather room as they tested for my obliviousness against the climate."

I pressed my lips together, not moving.

"He's telling the truth, Iggy," Angel said quietly. "Just do it."

I looked down at her carefully, waiting for her voice to reach itself into my thoughts but it didn't. I leaned forward to stretch my wings out as far as they could go, being careful not to stir her. I laid myself back down on the branch and covered us both in my warm feathers just like my arms were holding on to her.

Eventually, her shivering gradually decreased and slept soundly in my arms; just like so many other numerous times I had held her in the night.

"Thank you," I managed to force the words through my gritted teeth. "For the suggestion."

"It's nothing," he said back, espressionless.

_You can trust him, Iggy. I do. _

_Angel, going through days without knowing if she's even alive broke everything inside me. What if this Eraser is just a set up? What if they're watching in the bushes right now? What if the baby…_

_You can trust him. He's got more of a story than you realize. He saved Nudge and the baby._

I shut down my mind and pressed my lips on Nudge's forehead, not allowing myself to answer.


	12. Reunited

_**I can't apologize enough for being gone for so long.**_

_**Hopefully my loving story-readers are still here. I give them all a big huge virtual donut.**_

_**There's just been a lot going on. And a teeny little bit of writer's block only because I didn't know how to put what I was thinking of into words!**_

_**AND FANG MADE ME CRY AT THE END!**_

_Nudge's POV :_

My head and various other parts of my body were still throbbing when I felt myself start to pull out of unconsciousness. My inside muscles stretched uncomfortably as I heaved a big, shaky breath and fluttered my eyelids against the bright light. I felt hot, and worse of all, enclosed like I was in a cage.

_Oh, god. Where am I?_

When I first opened my eyes, it was difficult to see anything with the light. I groaned and pressed my face into whatever I was laying on, not caring if it was the bottom of a cage or table.

But it was soft, like fabric. And, it was moving as it _breathed. _I stifled a gasp, and shot my eyes open wide.

After my eyes were able to focus, I found the figure's face that lay beneath me and felt my heart increase in speed. The worried lines on Iggy's forehead had been the last expression I had seen from him in what seemed like weeks. And now, as he slept, they had vanished, giving him a more peaceful edge that I loved. He looked more or less like an angel with his strawberry-blonde hair and nearly-white complexion.

I tore my eyes away from his face and looked to the side of us. My view was blocked immediately by Iggy's wing and when I looked to the other side, his other wing made a wall to my vision. Pressing my lips together against the soreness, I lifted my arm and felt the warmness of his feathers on my fingertips. Absently, I ran my fingers through them and felt every bit of comfort that I had lost for too long. In the corner of my eye, I saw the curve of his right wing as they both curled over me in a cocoon. I smiled. It wasn't anything close to a cage.

I looked back at his face but his expression hadn't changed nor had his breathing. I watched his eyelids for a long time but they didn't move either. How could he really be asleep?

_Nice to finally see you're awake._

Angel's voice in my head made me jump gently.

_You and Iggy have been sleeping for ages. Wake him up already._

_Angel! Where are we? What happened? Where are you? What's going on?_

_I'm on the ground where you should be. And apparently, you've been out cold so nothing real exciting has been going on._

I shook my head, trying to clear it and focused back on Iggy's face. Nothing Angel said made any sense to me.

_Just wake him up, Nudge. _

I sighed but she didn't say anything more to my relief. Biting my lip, I tried hard to raise myself off of Iggy's chest only to feel my muscles scream out in protest. I laid myself back down carefully and breathed out a shaky sigh. After a few moments of calming my breathing down, I raised myself up again and brought my lips to his closed eyelids to touch both of them as softly as I could manage. I remembered how Iggy had done that once so long ago, when nothing had happened to us yet. Back when I didn't even know that he loved me. I felt my lips quiver against his skin, matching my muscles.

"Nudge?" his voice came softly but it was enough for me to hear. With a short breath, I moved my face down to press my lips to his lips without saying a word.

It was the first time I had kissed him in what seemed like months to me. His lips opened and synchronized softly with mine; pulling every single broken strand of my heart back together after the horror I had been forced into once more. I felt his hands slide up to caress my face, and my own hands did the same. He was keeping me from having to use my muscles so much and I felt relieved. His kiss took all the stress and pain away.

Gradually, our lips became less aching for touch and I stopped moving them so urgently though I couldn't bring myself to pull away. He soothed my cheeks and kept me positioned there with my face so close.

"Iggy," I breathed his name, marveled at the way the letters sounded on my tongue, and couldn't help but smile. I ran my hands through his hair and opened my eyes to his face again.

The grin that was held on his face lit up everything surrounding us, even if I couldn't see anything beyond his wings. His bright, blue eyes stared up at mine with such intensity that I almost believed that he could see my expression. My smile faltered a tiny bit but I pressed my face to his cheek so he could feel my upturned lips against his skin.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered into my ear. His arms slid back down to hold me tight to his chest. "Nudge, I'm so terribly sorry."

"Nothing is your fault," I murmured gently. "Nothing ever will be. You can't be with me every second of the day. You wouldn't have much of a life."

"You are my life, Nudge," his voice choked and he lowered the volume even more. "Therefore, I have a very full life ahead of me. And you're not going to be in danger again."

I chuckled grimly and ran my thumb down the skin of his hairline. "They aren't going to stop hunting me or you or Max or anyone. They aren't called "mad" for nothing, Iggy…"

He drew his eyebrows together. "That doesn't mean I can't keep you safe in my arms, because that's where you going to be. You and her both…"

The last sentence was spoken so softly that I almost didn't catch it, but I stopped in mid-breath once I figured out the meaning of his words. I rose up, still looking straight into his eyes, as I tried to remember how to breathe. Iggy was watching me, his eyes locked onto mine impossibly.

"Nudge, love, relax and breathe," his lips were pulled up in a smile.

As I tried to remember back to the night before, a wall of darkness kept me from entering. It was as if nothing had happened, and all I had gone through was endless hours of night. I could vaguely remember how I even got out of what seemed like my death at the time. But it had happened, I knew it had. Iggy was here, proving it.

And I could no longer feel her inside of my stomach.

I grasped Iggy's arms for support as his wings started to recede from around us. The sunlight found us quickly through the leaves of the trees above us, and I had only a short remembrance of my surroundings. It was only when Iggy told me to hold on that I realized we weren't even grounded.

"Nudge!" Angel said happily once Iggy and I were on the ground. I turned around just in time to be enveloped into a hug and almost knocked to the forest floor.

"Easy Angel, I'm still sore," I laughed, stroking her hair. She loosened slightly but still held on.

"Your thoughts were a mess while you slept up there," she said. "I was trying hard to explain to Max but it was too jumbled."

She released me so I could look at her in the eyes. "What? How long was I asleep?"

"You were asleep for nearly nine hours. Your breathing was laboring and we worried that you got stressed out too much. I made sure you were okay by looking into your thoughts."

I bit the inside of my lip as I soaked in her words, and as I looked back at Iggy who stared at the ground. I found his expression pained.

"But you're up, and your heart is fine," Angel continued. "So, nothing to worry about."

It was impossible for me to miss the lack of information about her, my baby, from what she said. I turned myself around to face her again.

"She's fine," Angel said to me. I knew I wouldn't have to say anything. "Max and Fang have her. She's safe."

I breathed out of my mouth carefully, feeling the butterflies start to relax a little in my stomach. As long as my baby was alive—

"And I'm not the one you should be thanking for her being alive," Angel said, turning her body towards the woods behind her.

I watched as a familiar figure walked out of the trees, looking at me in a relieved fashion. My mind hadn't taken the memory of him away, and for that, I was more than glad. I owed Logan my life.

Without thinking too much about it, I began to walk toward him. But I wasn't even past two steps when Iggy stopped me in my tracks as he stepped in front of me. His eyes were piercing as he looked straight at Logan's wide eyes. I couldn't help but notice the accuracy that Iggy had suddenly gained with his eyesight.

"Iggy, its okay," I soothed him, stroking his arm gently. "He saved me. He won't hurt me."

He didn't look at me but his eyes softened as he sighed.

"It's okay," I repeated. "Trust me."

My words seem to reach him and his stance calmed. I smiled softly and kissed his upper arm as a reassurance before I stepped towards Logan once more. Logan was smiling and he nodded respectfully at Iggy.

"I'm sorry I upset you," he said, looking at Iggy. "I'd been at the School for… a very long time. And I've seen what has happened to those be subjected there. I don't wish to cause Nudge any arm, I promise."

Iggy's face seemed almost sad but he half-smiled. "Thank you. And I mean it with all my life. If you hadn't of saved her when you did…"

Logan bowed his head gently and Iggy didn't finish.

"Thank you Logan," I spoke to him finally. "Though I honestly don't think those words are nearly enough."

He smiled. "They are, especially since the saving part was much easier than what could have happened. If Max and Fang hadn't come in time, I don't know if I would have been able to help you… properly."

His eyes saddened intensely at his words and I saw his shoulders slump down for a split second before he caught himself.

"But, it's all right now," he said quickly. "Max and Fang sent me to get you."

The corners of my lips turned up and I looked back to see Iggy, closer now, with matching brightness. His eyes were now locked onto my face and I saw Angel smile.

"Let's see our baby, Nudge," he murmured gently, reaching out to take my hand in his. I watched as his eyes locked onto my lips as they pulled down gently.

"How badly I wish…" I spoke so softly I wasn't sure anyone could hear me.

"That I could see her?" he finished my sentence, a smile playing on his lips. "I don't think that'll be a problem, sweetheart."

I looked at his blue eyes, brighter than I had ever seen them before. Both of my eyes gradually popped open wider. His fingertips of his free hand met my lips gently and he traced their outline.

"Please don't frown," he whispered. "Because I love the sight of that smile of yours."

…

Kalani: About time.

Me: Shhh. I had a lot of things to do!

Kalani: No. You didn't. Everytime you opened the document, you'd write two words and exit it.

Me: That means nothing.

Kalani: Yes it does. It means you had Writer's Blo –

Me: DO NOT SAY THOSE WORDS.

Carmelita: Read and review, please?


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